Love Beyond Us
by XrosaryX
Summary: As told by Collin Rhodes, a guard of a harvest camp falling in love with an Unwind girl named Alexia Warden. A oneshot romance based on the novel Unwind. OCXOC


**I DO NOT OWN UNWIND! Unwind belongs to its author Neal Shusterman and everything about it does too. However, I do own my characters and this plot. If you haven't read Unwind, you are missing the greatest book!!!**

_Warning: Slight cursing during the main parts and minor sexual content later as you read, you have been warned!_

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Harvest Camp-_ Sunny Smiles_

"Where we have fun in the sun until sunset!"

Location: Florida, hidden and unknown to the public...

Happy Sun, the pride and joy harvest camp. Hidden somewhere in the sunny state of Florida, the harvest camp was ranked the top number one camp in all states. The unwinds were not required to wear a uniform, they could enjoy themselves throughout the silver platinum building with activities, and were able to roam around. It was like heaven before their unwinding came to be. There were five thousand unwinds, four thousand Sunny Smiles helpers to come to their needs, and about five thousand six hundred guards in the camp. Leaving any hopes of escaping, to a chance of none.

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I'm Collin Rhodes and I used to work here at this harvest camp. Looking back, I remember how many kids I escorted to the room where they aborted them apart pieces by pieces. I regret that I chose that occupation now since those kids...I never helped them at all. I heard that the protest against Unwinds are starting up stronger than before after we left. We? Well, I fell in love with a girl....A girl three years younger than me, an angel, and an escaped Unwind with a fired guard.

I can't remember much before I met her. Just that I was laid back and didn't give a care in the world about others other than myself. My old girlfriend and I were having issues at the moment about marriage and meeting her parents. I do remember my first meeting with Alexia Warden. I was talking to my friend Thomas about the latest drama I had with Maria, my girl at that time, and asked if I could hang at his place until it blew over again as usual. Around this time, Thomas snickered and accidentally bumped into a girl being escorted by one of the counselors of the camp.

She was about seventeen and she looked so tired when I glanced at her face. She saw me stare at her and quickly looked away from me before hiding behind the counselor who laughed lightly stating that the girl before us was quite shy. This girl glanced at me again and I stared back in strong interest as she began to urge the counselor to continue her tour around the place. She wasn't a tithe or a newly brought Unwound, she was a found runaway who was discovered half dead on the path of a hiking trail. Thomas laughed at how I continued to stare at the retreating figure and told me that the girl was named Alexia Warden, a runaway missing for two years ever since she turned fifteen. He than joked that she would be gone in a week or something which made me feel uneasy at that moment.

It wasn't normal for me to feel a tingle of horror at the pit of my stomach when we talked about unwinds. I shrugged it off and we went back to the topic of me crashing at his place until Maria could stop being a drama queen and let me go back to our apartment. The next day I found the girl standing in front of the door towards the indoor greenhouse installed into the camp and staring at the plants inside it. She looked towards me and nodded as if to greet me before looking back inside the garden. "It's suppose to be open in three more hours," I told her to which she just nodded, "I know, but I want to stand here and watch the sunlight hit them in this perfect angle. It's so peaceful looking..."

"...You never saw a garden before?"

"No, where I lived my mother tore out the entire backyard and just damaged the land so I couldn't make anything grow back home...." I didn't know how to respond to that at all as I continued to stare at her finally able to look at her closely. She had long light brown hair that grew straight down towards her back until it reached her hips, pale blue eyes full of sadness yet wisdom that was rare for someone so young as her, and pale skin that had black tattoos on her neck and upper right arm. The one on her neck had designs of tree branches and leaves making it look like an elegant choker as the one on her upper arm was a fence design with vines wrapping around the railings of it. Her outfit was a green dress without sleeves a knee skirt with slits on both sides that reached to her hips as a black scarf was tied tightly around her showing off a slender frame, skin tight black knee pants, and black flats. "....I'm Alexia-"

"I know who you are," I sighed as she continued to stare out into the garden, "Really, you shouldn't wait this early just to watch the sun and all that." She looked at me with wide pale blue eyes startling me a bit when I saw how pretty she seemed to look as sun beamed down on her, "Sir...I don't mind missing breakfast to be right here."  
"D-Don't call me sir...It makes me seem old..."

"....Aren't you?"

"I'm twenty years old you brat!" I exclaimed as I took out a key and went over to her. Alexia watched in surprise as I unlocked the door, "Here....Go on in and just tell them that the last gardener forgot to lock it or something...."

"Thank you s-"

"My name is Collin Rhodes got it?" I told her firmly as I glared at her, "None of this sir and crap, I hate it..." To this I heard a slight giggle from her earning a look of surprise from me, "Collin Rhodes...What an old like name..."

"W-Watch it kid!" I stormed off in fury at her insult to me yet I couldn't help, but smile as I saw her enter the garden house with a bright smile on her face.

I saw her later in there just as they began to end dinner. She was crouched in front of the lily pond fountain and seemed to be cold or shivering as I entered, "Hey, it's almost curfew!" Alexia glanced at me slightly, but instead of moving up and out she remained still and her shoulders shook as I advanced a bit more towards her, "Hey..." I gently placed my hand on her shoulder causing her to look up at me, "O-Oh...Collin Rhodes, hello..." I found tears falling down her cheeks as she tried an effort to smile at me, "I-I'm sorry I was about to go."

"What's wrong?" I thought we were both shocked at the sudden caring tone of my voice as we crouched in front of the lilies as the moon came down on us, "Did someone hurt you?" It was a rumor, but I heard that the tithes of the camp held a grudge towards her after it was revealed that she was actually one as well to which she denied as being a curse instead of a blessing. Personally, I couldn't stand the tithe kids at all as I could with the normal ones. They were all mighty and happy, too go hung about this....I watched her as she wiped her eyes, "J-John...They said John left us..." John, that name was one of the kids I escorted that afternoon during the lunch and I felt a look of guilt wash over my face as she looked at me, "You...Oh..."

"Y-Yeah I escorted him..."

"No, it's your job...I...I'm just scared now," she whispered to me as I looked at her, "I never thought that someone I talked to would disappear so soon." She smiled weakly at me, "Don't you feel any guilt? At all?" I glanced at her briefly before looking away thinking hard what to say to that.

This was too beyond me. I was just a guard and she was a Unwind. I shouldn't be associating with her! But....Alexia stared at me as she waited for my reply, "...Now and than, but other than that...Not really..."

"Collin, really? You don't-"

"Let's just get you to your room now," I told her before she spoke anymore, "If you go off by yourself to your room more or likely they'll think you were planning to go on the run." Alexia nodded and slowly stood up as I did as well. She stayed behind me, just like a shadow as we walked to her room. Her footsteps were lighter than mine were and I could barely tell if she was behind me or not unless I glanced back every few seconds. When we came to her room, she gave me a hug which took me off guard. I never had been hugged in years, not since my parents died or when my grandmother died even my girlfriend didn't touch me unless she had my permission. She pulled away and quickly slipped into her room leaving me bewildered and confused to why she did that.

I soon began coming back to the camp early in the morning just in time to see her standing at the garden house. We never spoke as I unlocked the door for her, but we exchanged speaking looks as she told me. Alexia would smile at me as a way to greet me as I showed her the key as a returning greeting for her to which she would smiled more as I came closer. When she went inside, I would give her a slightly smile of my own to which she would giggle or touch my hand for a brief second before going in. Than when we saw each other in the halls, I would either give her a quick wink or sometimes a smile before anyone saw me and she would give me a half wave to return the hi. Just before dinner ended I would excuse myself from guard duty and run off to the garden house just as she rushed inside and we would talk in there about anything we wanted without anyone interrupting us. When she and I had to separate, I walked her to her room and she would give me a hug before slipping inside as I would tell her good night It was wrong, but yet we continued doing this routine for quite some time until we managed to catch the eyes of some staff members and tithes.

I recalled Thomas stalking me behind the corners of the halls as we passed each other and caught him in the act just in time before he saw me smile at Alexia, "Okay man," I told him, "Why are you stalking me?" Alexia took this as a time to escape before Thomas could point to her as a reason, "Er w-well..."

"Spill it or I'm going to pound you.."

"Eeks! Okay! Okay! Collin don't make that scary face at me!!" He managed to spill out that the other guards noticed my change in behavior and they were worried that I was spending too much time with Alexia, "A-Also, uh..Maria asked me to stalk you."

"She what?" Maria at that moment received a break up phone call by me to which I received a million texts of 'I hate you you jerko!' during the next few nights following the day I sent it to her.

Alexia also seemed to be battling her own battles without my knowledge the next morning when I didn't find her at her usual spot. I frantically looked around the campus until I found her sitting at an empty table in the cafeteria away from everyone as three tithe girls talked to her. She simply looked at me and looked away with a painful look in her eyes as the nearest girl seemed to see me. They told her something to which she stood up and walked with them outside of the room. During our evening meeting, I saw a display of a dark red slap mark and cuts on her hands, "Alexia!"

"Don't," she told me somewhat calm as I noticed her hands curl into fists, "Don't Collin...Please..." I hurried over and examined her hands, "Did those girls..."

"...They just warned me not to be so smart with them about God and his teachings about Unwinding since mine is coming up.."

"What?" She smiled at me as her voice broke, "It's two days from now Collin. I don't...Don't make me feel like this anymore..." I touched her lightly on the mark of her face and she flinched a bit, "Collin, this is wrong...."

"Isn't everything that we did to each other these past few weeks?"

"Yes, but...Here, my heart....Collin what have you done to me?" I watched as she finally cried out tears that she held in deeply for so long as she stayed there, "What did you do to me? Whenever I see you...I feel so alive and happy. As if this horrible camp isn't real and you.....You just keep me so happy. So happy and...My heart feels jumpy whenever I see you smile at me or when I hug you so closely.....Why did I fall in love with you?" I froze a bit at those words and nearly felt as if my hands would crush her if I made a wrong move. Love....

In love with me, that's what she asked. Why did she fall in love with me? "....Alexia, you...God, now I want to kiss you." I wrapped my arms around her and held her to me, "Alexia...Do you know why I kept on coming back to you? I fell in love with you too....Despite all this crap..."

"Collin...."

"When I first saw you, I couldn't stop staring at you at all. When I talked to you here in front of the door to this garden...I swear, my heart almost went into turbo because you were beautiful. Now, now I just want to love you without all this. Alexia, you're so much like an angel here...I won't let you go..."

"Collin....Oh Collin..." I don't remember how or when, but our lips managed to find each other through the darkness and we stood there in embrace for a long time as we heard silence. No one, nothing seemed to be as important as it was for us now at that moment until we pulled away. "I love you...." Her voice sounded so soft and song like as she told me those three words and I kissed her again. We slowly began to kiss more urgently to the point we could have collapsed right there in front of the pond to where anyone could have found us. Alexia blushed as I slowly untied the scarf around her, "C-Collin...This..."

"I know...I'll be gentle as I can," I whispered to her as she shuddered slightly as we hit the floor with a soft thud, "I would kill myself if I'd hurt you." She giggled a bit and kissed me as we slowly countinued. She held my hand as we made love and whispered my name softly as I slowly whispered hers in a slight prayer. Alexia panted in happiness as we laid down next to each other, "Collin, I love you...So much..." Her tears fell on my chest as we stayed there for hours until I heard the door open, Thomas frowned at us as I glanced at him in total fear, "....God you screwed up Rhodes..."

Thomas never spoke to me at all as he walked with us to Alexia's room, in fact he barely even glanced at me until she went inside her room. He glared at me, "Why did you have to do that? She's a freakin' minor you dumb ass!"

"Alexia's a lot more mature than anyone kid around here Thomas...," I slowly told him, "And I love her..." He sighed as if he wasn't getting anywhere with me, "Look Collin," he told me firmly, "She's seventeen, a kid!"

"I told you she's mature than any of the kids here you-"

"Not only that Collin, she's an Unwind! What if someone else caught you deflowering her?! You'd be arrested or worse!"

"Well with you yelling it out I will be..." Thomas frowned and huffed as he looked away, "Dude, are you even sure you love her?"

"....Thomas, how are you and Ariel doing?"

"Huh? Oh, we're okay...."

"Well, think of me and Alexia...We love each other, please..."

"....I'll talk to you tomorrow okay?" He walked away from me as I stood there in the hallway as I felt my heart begin to beat at an unstable pace. The next morning Alexia and I stood in the garden for a long while as Thomas appeared inside, "....You're going to have to figure out all the escape routes if you want her to get away dude..." I smiled at him in relief as he grinned back, "Okay, so this is how we're going to do this..."

Thomas explained to me that we had about ten hours until he and another guard were suppose to bring Alexia to be unwound, there were a few options for us that we could take which all lead to me being one fired or two killed. We chose the fired option due to the fact that Alexia fainted when Thomas told us that the guard with him knew how to shoot someone at any kilometer range to which earned him a kick in the shin by me. Alexia nervously glanced at me as we sat in the garden one last time before she was taken the next day in the morning, "Collin...I'm so-"

"Don't be sorry Alexia," I told her as I gave her a kiss, "I don't regret this...Like I did when I took those kids..."

"...You did regret it?"

"To be honest, no Alexia. To me this was a job, but when you came...I began to think back to everyone of them. How they begged, sobbed, and cried...It's like you opened my eyes to see what I did..." She hugged me, "Thank you..."

"I love you Collin..."  
"I love you too Alexia."

Thomas was an expert on planning or so he said before he told me that he was going to Alexia, I watched from the corner of my eye as he and a guard went over to her, "Come on." Alexia showed no sign of fear or sadness as she stood up and walked with them out the door towards the red carpet leading to the chop shop around this time I too stood up and walked behind them. The guard before us looked back at me confused as they walked Alexia down, "Um...Guard Rhodes, what's wrong?"

"....Sorry, but I can't let you do this to her." I took out a gun and quickly shot at a fire alarm allowing the sprinklers above us to activate and rain down on us, Thomas quickly glanced around and smacked the guy on the head, "Get going quick! The exit should be easy to get to!" Alexia grabbed my hand as we ran quickly down the crowded pathways as kids and some staff members panicked and headed towards the standard exits used during something like this where they would not escape. I quickly noticed some guards chasing us and grabbed Alexia's waist before carrying her off bridal style pass everyone. "Rhodes!"

"Get back here with that girl!"

I nearly panicked when I saw the director of the place run towards us until Thomas pretended to bump into him, "MY BAD SIR!!!!" He gave me a thumbs up sign as he struggled to stand up, "Collin!" I ducked just in time as a bullet of tranquilizers almost hit me, apparently they were too good. I noticed the garden house open and slipped in, "Alexia, hide under the willow tree," I told her quickly as screaming teens crashed into the people following me stalling enough time for me, "Just as every single guard is running after me, swim into the pond and go pass the lilies until you see a large door at the bottom. The gardeners use that hole to clean up the pond once every few months and it's large enough for you to go through. The password is 2-0-9-8 okay? It should push you out of here to the water reservation where Ariel, Thomas' girlfriend is."

"But what about you Collin?! I can't-" I kissed her to stop her from saying anything, "Just do it...I'll see you soon. I swear." I watched as tears fell down her eyes as she nodded and hid quickly. "There he is!" I ran as fast as I could pretending I was still carrying Alexia as I saw her slip just in time under the protective cover of the willow tree.

Thomas and I were fired soon after they caught us on camera and were sentenced to jail for three months for this crime. They thought Alexia was to blame however despite me telling them she was innocent. Apparently the girls that were harassing her told the guards that she seduced me into helping her escape to which I am happy to say that they were unwound soon after....Well, I'm not that happy, but still. Thomas told me that Alexia was once again placed as a runaway according to his girlfriend, but was soon placed as killed since blood was found at the site to where they thought she escaped. She and Ariel pretended to be cousins soon after she was allowed to go outside to visit me at the jail center. I almost cried out in shock when I saw her beautiful long hair chopped off into a short boy cut to which she laughed lightly like the angel she was and assured me that she'd grow it back. Thomas retorted that she should have colored her hair instead of cutting it in which I glared at him until Ariel laughed nervously, "Say...Ever since you left...The protests against the Unwinds are stronger than ever! You two are legends like the ones who destroyed Happy Jack!"

"Really?"

"Yeah! Even that kid, Lev, is going along with it as well."

"....The Lev?! As in the clapper kid?!"

"That's rather rude Thomas," Ariel told him and he blushed as she gave him a jab to the head, "Yes, Lev. Actually, he wants Alexia to visit the Graveyard where Conner and Risa are to stay safe....If she wants to until her birthday since it's bad enough the police are giving me strange looks whenever they see us." I looked at her as she smiled at me, "Really Collin, I think it would be safe for me to lay low until all this clears over."

"...But...."

"Besides, I want to protect our child." I fainted at that and that was the last time I got a visit from her.

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So now I'm standing here nine months later, waiting for Ariel and Thomas as the angry crowds of people yell at Sunny Smiles as the guards struggle to keep the kids away from the windows to darken their hope of freedom. "Rhodes!" Thomas jumps me from behind and gives me his usual goofy grin as Ariel struggles to keep up with him, "You stupid redhead! Didn't we say wait?" Ariel pants as she glares at Thomas as she places a hand on her stomach, "Do you want me to have a miscarriage Thomas? It's bad for me to run..."

"Oh my god! I'm so sorry! Are you okay?! You're not hurt are you?!" I smirk at them as Ariel tries to swat Thomas away from fawning and crying over her pregnant state as a new figure is seen behind them. I stare in amazement as long brown hair blows around her framing her face, pale blue eyes look at mine, and a bright smile of an angel greets me. Alexia looks just as beautiful as before when she left to go to the Graveyard to meet with Conner and Risa, "She's fine for the last time," I hear Risa tell me in an annoyed tone, "Mr. Rhodes, you really shouldn't call us every hour just to make sure she's okay or captured. She's fine..."

"Y-Yes, but-"

"Huh? Conner what? WHAT DO YOU MEAN SHE'S IN LABOR?!"

"SHE'S IN LABOR!!!"

"ALEXIA!!! OH GOD!!!"

"Er uh...Mr. Rhodes...Can you uh...Bye." I still feel the little uneasy feeling of dread as I remember the thoughts of fear and joy of me being the father of our child. Alexia comes closer, "Collin...."

"Alexia...." She smiles and reveals the small little bundle in her arms, "Say hi to our little girl, Serina." A pair of pale blue eyes identical to her mother's look up at me as red hair like mine is revealed as she allows the blanket around our daughter to reveal her face to me, "Serina, this is your dad...." Serina giggles slightly as I come up and scoop her up into my arms, "Hey...." She smiles at me as Alexia goes up and stands next to me as we watch the protest go into motion before us, maybe...Just maybe our child will grow up without all of this. To a future in which the words 'Unwind' do not exist or that the lines of which Alexia and I crossed are not forbidden in the eyes of the society. Hopefully, she will grow up in a bright future....

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**Love it? Hate it? Let me know what you think! Just don't hurt me so badly...Please...Well, thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed it! Bye!**


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